I am considering buying a living room set from Ashley furniture. This
would be an upholstered 4 piece set, (sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman.)
Their prices are very good, the pieces looks lovely and are
comfortable. The pieces will be used in a room that does not get a lot
of use. (That means...the kids jump on a different sofa and the dog
has his own chair in another room!)What can anyone tell me about their
quality?

I saw this on the web "Ashley Furniture Ashley Furniture is the single
largest brand of residential furniture in North America". Got 8 ad
links when searching for them on Google. So one advice is to dig and
make sure you're getting the best price, seems like a lot of people are
selling the stuff. Consumer Reports doesn't cover the North Carolina
manufacturers; they do recommend Flexsteel as a Best Buy, which I
definitely support - great stuff. Here's Consumer Reports generic
how-to-buy-furniture thing for upholstered furniture...

1=2E Check the frame

=B7 Press down on the back rail and arms and try to wiggle them. You
should not feel excessive movement.

=B7 Lift one front corner leg about 6 inches while a companion holds
down the opposing arm. You should not feel the sofa twist.

=B7 Ask the salesperson to remove the bottom dust cover near one leg so
that you can see the frame. (Not all stores will do this.) Look for
corner blocks to add strength and neat, tight joints that appear to be
glued and stapled or screwed together. If legs are screwed into the
frame, that's OK. Legs that are part of the frame may be stronger but
hard to repair.

=B7 The terms kiln-dried hardwood and furniture-grade plywood can
denote high-quality materials. But the frame can still be poorly
assembled.


2=2E Feel the padding

=B7 Knead the frame along the front and back rails, corners, and arms.
If you feel hard or sharp edges, it means the padding is skimpy.

=B7 Check the back of the sofa. Padding should be smooth, not lumpy.
The outer back should be padded to give a finished look, especially if
the sofa won't be up against a wall.


3=2E Check the cushions

=B7 Unzip a seat cushion to see what's inside. Better-quality
cushions contain foam covered with polyester batting, enclosed in a
muslin or nonwoven pillowcase.

=B7 Removable back cushions containing loose polyester filler should
hold the filling in a pillowcase that's stitched into multiple
compartments to minimize settling.

=B7 Check the covering. Reversible cushions help the fabric and filling
last longer.


4=2E Size up the springs

=B7 Press down hard on the deck (the area under the seat cushion) to
sense if seat springs are evenly spaced and equally resistant to
pressure.

=B7 Sit down. You shouldn't tip or sink in one direction. If you do,
the springs probably aren't centered or properly attached to the
frame.

=B7 Listen. You don't want to hear squeaks.

=B7 Disregard the term "eight-way hand-tied springs." It's no
longer synonymous with comfort or high quality. Other types of
springs--coil, cone, S-shaped, and grid--can be just fine; they mainly
influence how comfortable the sofa feels to you. The illustrations
above show two common spring designs.


5=2E Examine the upholstery

=B7 Stripes and plaids should appear straight and aligned; floral or
arabesque patterns should flow from one part of the sofa to the next.

=B7 Check the stitching. Welted seams should be straight, skirt pleats
evenly spaced, zippers color matched to the upholstery.

I have an Ashley couch, which I purchased 4 years ago. I love it; it is
well-built, and very comfy. The price was right, also. No complaints here.
-- pj



In article .com, "ddmcall"
wrote:
I am considering buying a living room set from Ashley furniture. This
would be an upholstered 4 piece set, (sofa, loveseat, chair, ottoman.)
Their prices are very good, the pieces looks lovely and are
comfortable. The pieces will be used in a room that does not get a lot
of use. (That means...the kids jump on a different sofa and the dog
has his own chair in another room!)What can anyone tell me about their
quality?